Sports

KINGS: Quick trending in the right direction going into Game 4

SAN JOSE – In case there were any doubts, any lingering concerns about his play, Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick swatted them away with his stick, kicked them out of harm’s way with his pads and smothered them with his body until the whistle sounded Monday.

KINGS: Quick trending in the right direction going into Game 4

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, right, stops a shot in front of teammate Luke Schenn (52) and the Sharks' Tomas Hertl, left, during the first period of Game 3 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series Monday night in San Jose. Quick and the Kings are trending up since allowing four goals in a series-opening loss.

SAN JOSE – In case there were any doubts, any lingering concerns about his play, Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick swatted them away with his stick, kicked them out of harm’s way with his pads and smothered them with his body until the whistle sounded Monday.

Quick ended any debate about his effectiveness with an emphatic 29-save performance in Game 3 of the Kings’ first-round series against the San Jose Sharks, a 2-1 overtime victory in front of a raucous sellout crowd of 17,562 at the SAP Center.

“Just a great goalie, bottom line,” Sharks center Joe Thornton said of the 30-year-old Quick, a two-time Stanley Cup champion. “There’s no secret. We need to get traffic in front of him. Whatever he sees, he’s going to stop. He’s a world-class goalie.”

The Kings narrowed the Sharks’ lead in the best-of-7 series to 2-1.

Game 4 is Wednesday in San Jose. Game5, now necessary, is Friday at Staples Center.

If the Sharks are going to preserve their lead and eliminate the Kings, then they’re going to have to go through Quick in order to achieve a payback for what happened in the first round two years ago. In 2014, the Kings became only the fourth team in NHL history to win a series after trailing 3-0.

Quick was stellar then, and also in 2012, when he led the Kings to an improbable run to the Stanley Cup championship. The Kings became the first eighth-seeded team to win the Cup, and Quick won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.

The Kings followed their first title in 45 years with a trip to the Western Conference finals in 2013 and a second Stanley Cup victory in 2014. Quick had a gloved hand, and a stick and a blocker and a set of pads in all three extended postseason marches.

If the Kings are to rally to win this series, then Quick is likely to be a big reason why.

“Everything trickles down from John, from his attitude,” Kings captain Dustin Brown said. “There’s a swagger about him. When he’s dialed in, it’s almost like a momentum swing, really. You’ve seen it in the past where he makes saves and the other team dips a little bit and our guys get excited.

“He’s been doing this for years. You kind of get used to it. He’s a big-game goalie.”

No question, the Kings expect to rally, to even the series with a victory Wednesday in Game 4. They’ll look to Quick to help them make it happen. It’s nothing new. He’s been their best, most consistent player since taking over as their No.1 goalie in 2009-10.

Quick broke his franchise record with 40 victories this season, topping his previous best of 39 set in 2009-10. His goals-against average was a puny 2.22 and his save percentage was .918. He also had five shutouts, extending his club record to 42 for his career.

After three playoff games against the Sharks, Quick’s numbers aren’t as good. He’s 1-2 with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage, but he and the Kings are trending in the right direction since he gave up four goals in a 4-3 loss to the Sharks in Game1.

As ever, the Kings’ best and most experienced players must lead their comeback.

“We have guys who are learning on the fly here and we have other guys who have a lot of experience who have been here and done it together,” Brown said. “It’s up to those guys to right the ship. A big part of our success is John Quick. He’s probably the No.1 leader in this group.”

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